General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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I was reading Desert Solitare by Edward Abbey, and in it, he mentions that he was using bull snakes (bull snakes are non-venomous) during his time as a park ranger to help control the mouse populat...
Alpine slings are usually 60cm long and while they can be slung over one shoulder, it's much easier to carry them on your harness at 1/3 of the size in an alpine quickdraw. How would one shorten t...
I often approach deer to see how near I can get and to watch them (just for fun - not to hunt). I take care for the wind and of course to be silent enough. What else should one consider stalking/...
Whistles are often used for emergency signalling, it would be good to know how far that signal can travel and still be recognized. There are plenty of factors that would affect the distance, so ho...
In addition to my question about how to light a Son of Hibachi portable grill, I want to know which charcoals I should get. Which characteristics should I have an eye on?
On Amundsen's polar expedition they had, Of instruments and apparatus for the sledge journeys we carried two sextants, three artificial horizons, of which two were glass horizons with dark glas...
I am a novice sailor (at best) and natively German-speaking, so the question might contain incorrect use of sailing terms and further misconceptions - thanks for any pointers in comments. In high ...
I have an older plastic Coleman canoe. It gets a lot of abuse I have noticed some weak spots that may be a problem in the future. I looked around online and seems that they are made of High-densit...
There are a few pictures on the internet of people towing canoes with bicycles, there are even complete solutions that you can purchase for the task. But what is really involved, what are the chal...
What's the minimum arrow weight in grains per pound (GPP) of a Bear Archery Grizzly? It's a 2015 model with 35# if that matters.
We purchased a small potted live Christmas tree. We want to plant it outside. The ground is not frozen, can we plant it the day after Christmas or do we need to wait until spring? Each year mill...
In movies, sometimes the character will put an ear to the ground and then hear people moving a long ways away example. Does this actually work in the wild at all or is it just insufficient for any...
I was reading a recent answer and found this statement for the great majority of users, Gore-Tex boot liners fail anyway, and sooner rather than later if any real mileage is being covered. In f...
Wikipedia lists these common pack animals Camel Yak Reindeer Goats Water buffaloes Llama Equines including horses, donkeys, and mules Dogs (packing and sledding should have different values) E...
Is it safe to cook and or heat using "cow chips"? Cow dung, also known as cow pats, cow pies or cow manure is and has been used to fuel fires where firewood is not available. Ruminant manure co...
This question is specific to the hot water tank in an RV. In my case it is 6 gallons, propane heated and insulated with the only exterior contact the access panel, as seen in most standard RV's in...
Okay, besides the emotional preferences, like "in close touch with nature", fun or personal preferences (and so on), is there any rational reason to pick a bow over rifle? I mean things like "it'...
I feel like hats are quite popular among hunters and other outdoor-people which are mainly active in the woods. Also, a lot of outdoor brands have hats in their range. Which rational characteristi...
There has been some discussion on this question about whether or not hunting would increase or decrease the likelihood of a mountain lion attack. I have seen some websites saying that it does not, ...
Lately I saw a lot of people hunting with spears. Not the primitive type of spear but rather a high-tech one. It looked like made out of carbon or something. I think they were from North America. T...
It is fairly common practice to drive to a trailhead, park your vehicle and then go backpacking for a while. It would be a real bummer to come back from a trip and find that your vehicle has been b...
Magnet fishing is where you take a magnet and go fishing for metal objects (usually trash) in ponds, canals or lakes. I think this would be fun and would a good way to clear out some of the garbag...
There are two types of magnets sold for magnet fishing, Single sided with an eyelet on the top and the magnet directly below, and double sided with the eyelet on top of the circle and the magnets ...
I am planning an adventure, and realized that while I will have one able bodied paddler, I will likely have two canoes of load. In thinking about it, I have imagined several scenarios where this m...
I have an early 1970's Sunfish with the old style DePersia Bailer Ad from 1957 The plug is missing I have searched and it appears the old style old style DePersia Bailer is no longer made, t...
I have been considering adding a sail to my open 17 foot Coleman canoe. Browsing images on the internet show pretty much every imaginable configuration but they all share 3 or 4 combinations of ou...
Anyone who has played in the ocean knows getting a little sea water in your mouth and swallowing it will not kill you. Seawater contains salt. When humans drink seawater, their cells are thus...
There is a video of a cub trying to follow the mother bear up a steep snowbank and then rolling back down at first. People are saying that it's a cute video but that the drone that filmed it got t...
Related to this question, if one were to go on a three-month rowing trip across an ocean, is there an estimate of how much the food would be needed? It's certainly possible to give an estimate whe...
If I am lost in the woods, and I find a trail or a road, how do I decide which way to go? Autumn Veatch was 16 years old in 2015, when her grandparents small plane crashed in the North Cascade Mo...
In this answer at; I am lost, I found a trail, which way do I go? It claims ...logging roads These may extend many miles into the forest, with multiple branches, all ending in dead ends. There...
There have been a few Atlantic and Pacific row boat crossings. Poor weather is a significant risk. While it might be nice to row with the wind at your aft (back of boat), it might also be nice to...
It's extremely common to mandate that rifle hunters in the United States wear fluorescent orange, some states are now changing the laws to also allow fluorescent pink. The article (April 3, 2018) ...
This summer I did the Toiyabe Crest Trail and noticed that there are three different kinds of trail signs: Cheap plastic triangular ones that say Toiyabe Crest National Recreation Trail Square po...
I was looking up some things for some of our recent questions when I saw this line in the safety guide for Everglades National Park, Vultures are attracted to the rubber on vehicles and have be...
After a rather unpleasant experience with my current bivy sack, I am looking to replace it. I know that I want one that will hold up in rain, but what else should I look for?
There is a recent story of how one mother duck kept adopting more ducklings that weren't hers and eventually ended up with 76 ducklings. This is called "brood amalgamation", how common is it among...
Trailheads at some national parks like Yosemite or some wilderness areas will have quotas, with a certain number of permits per trailhead available per day. Usually, the permits are split between ...
I have been wondering how often the thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail resupply. I would assume that it depends on the part of the trail and the hiker, but is there an average distance or lengt...
I have heard that rabbits shouldn't be eaten in the summer because they have ticks and parasites on them at that time and that one should wait till after it freezes. Of course, you have to abide b...
Inspired by a recent question. If I want to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a boat, what are the shortest and longest possible crossing sites? Where crossing = going from one continent to another wh...
Some users here seem to think that the animal in question is a pika and not a cottontail rabbit. How would one tell the difference between a pika and a cottontail rabbit?
This question was prompted by the advice to "follow the existing angles" in this answer on sharpening ice screws. I have heard the same advice when it comes to resharpening knives. Of course, there...
In one of the Hornblower novels, he is being pursued by a French frigate on the first day of war. During the chase, both the British and French ships are sailing upwind, and it is mentioned that ...
Ice screws need to be sharp to be placed into the ice, and just like anything with an edge they will get dull over time. How would one know when to sharpen an ice screw, and once they do need to b...
There is a massive alligator in Florida that lives near a golf course, and he is estimated to be the largest alligator in Florida history assuming the estimations of his size are correct. Estimati...
Ocean water has about 35 Grams of salt per liter. For the human body salt content in body fluids is about 9 Grams per liter. See related question How much sea water can I safely drink? While it ...
In a survival situation is it actually efficient to eat edible plants? Assume late spring to early fall in a temperate climate. We have plenty of questions about where to find edible plants and h...
Most hearing muffs/earplugs have a noise reduction rating of between 22 to 35 NRR. OSHA says, Impulse Noise: The standard states that exposure to impulsive or impact noise should not exceed 14...
Last fall I bought a sunfish, best I can tell is built in about 1974 (43 years ago) and has all original sails, sail rings (hold the sail to the spars), tiller, etc. Everything but the lines seem ...
